I'm new to the message board, but I've been involved in Portland broadcasting for over 30 years.

I got my start as part of a small group of Keith Allen's students at PCC who were recruited in 1971 by entrepreneur Walter Kraus to help build a new FM station in Lake Oswego.

KQIV 106.7 originally was planned to be a classical station with "music for the Oswego set," as Mr. Kraus liked to say. He later was convinced to forget classical and to hit the air as a hybrid rock/folk/blues/jazz station.

As the chief operator, I had the pleasure of pressing the button that put KQIV (Q4) on the air on Sept. 15, 1972.

Early staffers included Steve Shannon, Dick Jenkins, Ed Hepp, Jeff Clarke, Faith Landreth, Norman Flint, Jack Malone, Fred Delahay and Bob McClanathan.

I left Q4 in February '74 to pursue a career in TV. I'd enjoy reminiscing with anyone who remembers KQIV. Those were great days!

Grew up in LO, grad 1972. KQIV, and especially Jeff Clarke, were the basic inspiration for me going into radio, however briefly. I used to go hang out at the Elks lodge studios with Jeff, and a couple of times with Faith, who was very nice also. It was good old free-form music based radio, but the personalities came through as well. Ed Hepp, I'd forgotten about him. Loved that name! Thanks for the rememberences.

Quadraphonic, baby!

Norman Flint...

I remember him from KGON (92.3) early days..
What ever happened to him?
I remember his show as really strange.

Weather reports that included "90% chance of "giggly uglies"" (rain)

Was Bob McClanathan KQ4's C.E.? The Big BA also worked their.

Warner: Perhaps we met in the past during one of your visits. One perk of our studios being housed at the Elks Lodge was that my favorite destination after a "hard" day behind the soldering iron was at the foot of the stairs nursing a cool adult beverage! Thanks for the checking in!

Amus: Norm Flint certainly was an unusual character! I believe I heard he headed for Seattle, but that was several moons ago!

Craig: McClanathan was our consulting engineer. I was the chief operator, and he helped me out with the tougher stuff. I remember one of the biggies he worked on with the FCC was how to get our transmitter out of Carver and move it up to Mt. Scott! Unfortunately, I left before anything came of that! - Joel

And now...IIRC, KQIV is a licensed to a station in Willmar, MN...

Would the quad idea work today? The technology probably wasn't right in 74, CDs weren't in vogue.

>>The technology probably wasn't right in 74

That's for sure. Jeff Clarke spilled the beans in this forum sometime ago regarding "quadraphonic" broadcasting on KQIV.

It's frightening to think that KQIV's horrid signal was intended to be used for Classical music! It was bad enough for Rock! In case anyone missed the original post, Jeff Clarke reported that KQIV never broadcast in quad at all. It was just a gimmick. The FCC hadn't yet authorized a system for FM so even if they did broadcast it, no one would be able to hear it anyway. Most quad receivers did however create a type of matrix quad from any FM stereo station.

What was the story behind KQIV's demise? How did 106.7 become (Top 40) KMJK?

nonpayment of power bill

And here I just thought the joystick on my quad reciever was broken?

Joel- I always enjoyed the contrast between the radio staff and the Elks members when I visited. What a culture clash!

As early planning for KQIV progressed, Walter Kraus and others met with Jim Gabbert at KIOI in San Francisco, and got very excited.

K-101 had successfully broadcast the first, true single-station quadraphonic music using a process invented by Lou Dorren. This experimental broadcast was FCC-approved and although successful, there were several unacceptable technical details that had to be worked out.

Despite the snags, Mr. Kraus and the team felt confident the Dorren system would eventually be perfected and FCC-approved, so our publicity as being a Quad station continued unabated.

As time went by, and the Dorren system was ultimately rejected, our billboards continued to proclaim "Rockin' in Quad!" Our ship had been launched, but no one sensed the iceberg that loomed ahead!

More KQIV topics for future perusal: missed paychecks; transmitter and antenna damage caused during the paralyzing January 1973 ice storm; interfacing problems between General Telephone and PNB.

On the bright side, does anyone remember the terrific concert we put on with Rainier Beer out at Delta Park on July 4, 1973? Tens of thousands were there, so someone must recall it!

Gloria Johnson was also at KQIV prior to her days at KVAN. I wasn't around then, but didn't Roy J flip the format to soul? That was the story I remember at least.

Iris, you are correct on both counts!

I forgot to mention Gloria. In fact, I remember a team of us Q4'ers helping her move to an apartment in West Linn.

And, after Walter Kraus turned control over to Roy, the operation was moved from the Elks Lodge to an old house on Harrison Street in Milwaukie.

Thanks for the comments!

Why was the original Kqiv transmitter site located on Carver mountain (Outlook) in the first place?

I remember the KQIV bumper sticker with a four part silhouette of a grandma on a rocking chair with the "Rockin' in Quad" slogan. I also remember reading that there was supposedly another quad FM in the Cleveland market at the same time. I wonder whether that was fake,too. I thought how totally nowsville and hip that their newe bits were called "Q4 Info"

I visited the station after it turned Soul. KGAR had a portion of its programming taken over by the same people who later ended up on KQIV. I recall a conversation with an engineering type who told me how the station would soon have a signal that would not only cover Portland but also Seattle! I felt this was unlikely with a station in Bremerton on 106.9 but he assured me it would happen anyway and that they would both come in.

Q: Why was the original Kqiv transmitter site located on Carver mountain (Outlook) in the first place?

A: We'd have to ask consulting engineer Bob McClanathan about that to be sure. That decision pre-dates my arrival. However, as I remember it, the Carver location met the FCC criteria for separation/protection, and for adequately serving the city of license. Our transmitter building and tower were located on a postage stamp-sized piece of property owned by Pacific Northwest Bell next to their microwave repeater station on Outlook. I believe the owner worked out a good deal with telco to lease that site.

Original KQIV equipment: Transmitter, AEL FM-25KD; Tower, Utility Tower Co., 200 feet; Antenna, Jampro 8-bay Penetrator, side-mounted.

Why did they put "soul" on KQIV? Portland has never been a "soul" market. How well did it show up in the ratings?

How about the early stages of 106.7. I've heard the frequency was sought by Kyxi.

Q: Why did they put "soul" on KQIV? Portland has never been a "soul" market. How well did it show up in the ratings?

A: Due to the nature of our local geography, the KQIV signal from Carver was received quite well in North and Northeast Portland. As the station's financial situation worsened, Roy Jay (now president of the African American Chamber of Commerce) met with the owner and suggested that a Soul format might work out. I don't believe it did well in the ratings and it did not last for very long.

Q: How about the early stages of 106.7. I've heard the frequency was sought by Kyxi.

A: I'm sure several AM'ers were interested over the years before KQIV/Willamette Broadcasting Inc. came about. It would be fun to do some research to discover who had previously filed for the frequency!

Didn't Kq4 go into receivership? I seem to recall some guys from Fresno were involved. Who actually built the studios and transmitter site?

Kqivoswego72: Thanks for the transmitter info. I've copied the information for the KQIV History coming sometime in 2005. I've also got your E-Mail for more questions later.

Q: Didn't Kq4 go into receivership? I seem to recall some guys from Fresno were involved. Who actually built the studios and transmitter site?

Yes, it did. But I was no longer involved and after thirty years, the details are sketchy. I have been trying to find somewhere in my files a newspaper article, perhaps from the Lake Oswego Review, that shows a photo of Walter Kraus with his head in his hands at a hearing in which the assets and license were ordered to be sold.

Regarding who actually built the studios and transmitter site: Both were designed by consulting engineer Bob McClanathan. Walter Kraus was a long-time member of the Elks, and the LO Elks lodge had an open mezzanine that was not being utilized. Kraus convinced the Elks to let him frame it in and put the radio station up there. McClanathan and I put our heads together and came up with a floor plan. Kraus had numerous Elks brothers in the construction trades and got a good deal by having them actually construct the studio space.

The transmitter building was also designed by McClanathan and was built by a Lake Grove contractor. McClanathan and I, along with an engineer from AEL, installed the tranmission equipment (except for the tower, transmission line and antenna).

I remember one day thinking to myself it might be fun to climb up the tower a little ways to see what the view was like. I got a few feet above the roof of the little concrete block building and had enough. Back down I came. Scary!

How long had the elks building been there. Were the studios built at the same time. did the original antenna give kq4 a better signal? I had heard the replacement was not optimized for the terrain. The late country Vince Spielman told me he'd help mount it. Thank You for the Wealth of information!

Q: How long had the Elks building been there? Were the studios built at the same time?

A: The Lake Oswego Elks lodge on SW Stafford Road was fairly new, perhaps a year old or so, when the KQIV studios were constructed on its mezzanine level.

That building...the first home of KQIV...is now a church!

KQIV's signal was incrementally better at my location after the change. I had forgotten about that. My stereo light flickered and never achieved full brightness before the change whereas afterwards, it still didn't get very bright but no longer flickered. When I finally got FM in my car in 1975, I was surprised how well it came in for a station that didn't come in very well. I would say it was slightly better than 105.1, which had its tower west of Salem. KQIV did not have a competitive signal, to put it mildly. I once called the station, asking how I could improve reception and was told I would need a roof antenna with at least 12 elements! I wasn't used to this as I was living near Eastport Plaza with a clear view of the rest of the towers. When the station went dark and reappeared from Mt Scott as KMJK, the difference was like night and day!

50kw wrote: "did the original antenna give kq4 a better signal? I had heard the replacement was not optimized for the terrain. The late country Vince Spielman told me he'd help mount it."

and, Semoochie: "KQIV's signal was incrementally better at my location after the change. I had forgotten about that."

I need some clarification on "the replacement" and "the change." During my tenure at KQIV, we did not replace nor change the original antenna. Are you referring to events that occured after I left the station in February, 1974?

Also, I am not familiar with Vince Spielman. Please tell me about him and the antenna help he provided. Thanks!

It may have been as late as the Soul format but was far too little too late.

Uncle Jeffy, where are you????

In an earlier posting, I asked, "Does anyone remember the terrific concert we put on with Rainier Beer out at Delta Park on July 4, 1973?"

I found a copy of the commemorative poster that GM Jack Malone designed. Must be a collector's item by now!? Here's how it reads:

KQIV & Rainier Beer
The Great American Birthday Party-Picnic
Delta Park
July 4, 1973
Produced by: The Thunder Circus People
Sound system: Brownell's Sound & Hi-Fi
Groups: Pleasure, Holy Modal Rounders (shown), Notary Sojac
Photo: Jim Felt

Kqivoswego72: Love it! Keep digging! Very informative thread.

I believe Brownell's was slightly north of Concord by McLoughlin Blvd just east of what is now a Goodwill outlet.

They were in a house out there somewhere before moving to a storefront on Hawthorne Blvd.

Maybe I have it wrong.. Was the antenna replaced or repaired after the big ice storm? Was the site vandelized at one time too? Vince was a friend of saleman Ace Anderson. Thanks

"Pleasure, Holy Modal Rounders (shown), Notary Sojac "

Wow, now that's a diverse lineup! Funk-soul, Hippie-jugband-whatever, and Rock-jam-band. I loved Notary Sojac!

Thanks for that memory.

I remember a black fellow who did soul on KGAR 1550 in the evenings & weekends & later put it on KQIV before it disappeared. What was his name & whatever happened to him?

From 50kw: "Maybe I have it wrong.. Was the antenna replaced or repaired after the big ice storm? Was the site vandelized at one time too? Vince was a friend of saleman Ace Anderson. Thanks"

You're welcome, Andy! And, thanks to you, too. Because of your questions, soon I will have more on the antenna story! I don't recall any vandalism, except that of Mother Nature! ACE ANDERSON??? I remember him. Great guy!

It's really amazing to me how the passage of over thirty years can dim memories, but just how quickly we can start to remember details of the past once nuggets of information are uncovered. I had a wonderful conversation with Jamie Miller of Jampro Antennas this morning, and I very much thank him for checking their files regarding the KQIV antenna saga. My wife also reminded me of a big party the station had up at the transmitter. "Party, what party? I must be losing it!" And, regarding my previous comment that the antenna had not been replaced during my time at the station? That was indeed incorrect.

Before I get to the antenna replacement, I'll try to recount what got KQIV to that point.

On the evening of Thursday, January 11, 1973, the Portland area was hit by an ice storm, resulting in treacherous driving conditions, numerous traffic accidents, and hospitals in the area reporting standing-room-only situations. A glaze of up to 3/4-inch covered most everything as the night progressed. I received a call from the studios informing me that our transmitter was off the air. Hmmm. Bad news. Considering the grim scene out my window, did I really want to try driving from Lake Oswego to Outlook to see what was going on?

Well, out I went and began my journey. Everything was going pretty smoothly, and by the time I started up out of Park Place on Forsythe Road, I could hear a weak signal from the exciter. That was encouraging because I knew the transmitter building still had power. (There was no back-up generator.) After a great deal of slipping and sliding, I reached Outlook Road and tried to drive up, but my car couldn't get any traction. After I parked, I got out of the car, slipped and fell on my butt. "Boy, this is a lot of fun," I thought! I took off my shoes and walked the couple of blocks to the transmitter in my stocking feet. A surreal sight awaited me. Huge icicles hung down from the guy wires and equally angry looking spires grew up from the ground. It was dark, cold and eery.

Once inside the transmitter building, everything appeared all right, except that the final amplifier had kicked-off. I twisted the power pot all the way down and fired up the final. As I slowly increased the output power, at about 15kw all heck broke loose. Severe arcing and a blast that sounded like a 12-gauge going off in an outhouse. I pealed myself off the wall and tried it again. There was another deafening boom. I then happened to notice that the recently refilled dry nitrogen tank that pressurized the transmission line was EMPTY! Obviously, the antenna had a hole in it. "Just great!" So, I brought the power up to about 5kw. It held OK, so at least we had some signal on the air. I then enjoyed a very loosey-goosey trip back home.

KQIV continued to run at reduced power for a few days and once the weather improved, a tower man went up and discovered that the deicer pigtails had arced and burned holes in a few bays of the antenna. Patches were installed over the holes and we were then able to repressurize the line and get back up to full power.

The transmitter had suffered a bit, too. An engineer from AEL came out and spent a couple of days cleaning up arc damage, replacing tubes and testing. All was well!

In the next installment...KQIV and Jampro present the Great American Let's Put Up Our New Antenna Party and Picnic!

Although the KQIV antenna was repaired following the ice storm of January, 1973, we knew that if the station was going to compete successfully in the Portland market and have any chance of survival, something had to be done to improve reception in the greater metro area.

Engineer Norm Herman came aboard as a consultant in the summer of 1973 and worked with Jampro Antennas on a pattern measurement study for us. Because the original antenna's coverage had always been considered deficient, and had been electrically and mechanically damaged, a decision was made to trade it in on a new Jampro JSCP 8-bay Penetrator with improved beam tilt and null fill.

The new Jampro was ordered in August, and shipped in late-September, 1973. A date was selected on which the old antenna would be removed and the new one installed, hopefully all in one long session.

The entire staff arrived at the transmitter site on Outlook early on that cool, overcast October day. Management kept reminding us that we would be off-the-air and that every second counted! "We know, we know. We're working as fast as we can!" Everyone pitched in to make the antenna change-out happen on schedule.

Reports are that KQIV's coverage area had improved somewhat with the new antenna. But, would it be enough to save the station?

Don't leave us hangin'!

In short, it was too little, too late! As I mentioned previously, soon thereafter a newspaper article detailed a hearing in which the assets and license of KQIV were ordered to be sold.

Were the control boards made by Langevin? I seem to recall Kqiv used 2 Urei la3 compressors and a Cbs Volumax? Let's keep this thread alive!

50kw: " Were the control boards made by Langevin? I seem to recall Kqiv used 2 Urei la3 compressors and a Cbs Volumax?"

Your memory is good! That gives me a chance to dust off the cobwebs again and see if I can remember more of the details.

Start-up money was tight, and although several of us pushed for higher-end gear, some of what we bought left much to be desired. The on-air booth and the production booth were practically identical.

Consoles: The Langevin boards were troublesome. The slider pots often failed, and they suffered from module-to-chassis "connectoritis."

Reel-to-reels: Originally, Otari. More trouble. Eventually replaced with Scully units.

Cart machines: ITC 3D triple-deckers. Tough, and always worked.

Microphones: E-V 635A.

Turntables: Russco Cue Master.

Monitoring: Marantz, Sansui and other goodies from Hawthorne Stereo and Brownell's Hi-Fi.

How long after the sign on did things (paychecks, firings, quitings) begin to "fall apart"? What was going on when the Soul format took over?

50kw: "How long after the sign on did things (paychecks, firings, quitings) begin to "fall apart"? What was going on when the Soul format took over?"

Truthfully, I believe KQIV started falling apart long before it even went on the air.

The owner, entrepreneur Walter Kraus, had made his name by filling in the Pony Slough in North Bend, Oregon, and developing the Pony Village shopping center on the reclaimed land.

In 1969, after taking up residence in Lake Oswego, Kraus decided that his well-heeled neighbors could use a classical music and news station. A well-known, long-time Portland radio news director and commentator was involved and had been led to believe he would become the new station's general manager.

I came aboard in the fall of 1971 out of PCC. Kraus was looking to find affordable help in the form of eager, young students.

Shortly afterward, Kraus was contacted by Portland radio personalities Steve Shannon and Dick Jenkins. After several discussions with them, Kraus was sold on going with a progressive rock/jazz format. He dumped the classical/news idea, all of the PCC recruits except me, and the intended GM, who sent Kraus a bouquet of black roses and a note that read, "Thanks for nothing Walter."

(to be continued)

Soon after KQIV went on the air in September 1972, enjoying a promising start, staff turnover reared its ugly head. Dick Jenkins and Steve Shannon soon exited because of creative differences with the owner and new general manager. The basic problem was that the top management had no experience in the unique world of broadcasting.

So many DJ's came and went it was difficult to keep track. The damage to the transmitter and antenna during the January 1973 ice storm took much time and money to resolve. Jampro Antennas was asked to help improve our signal. They balked because we were behind on our payments. The dialogue for several weeks went, "Please help us with our antenna, and we'll get you some money." "No, you give us some money, and then maybe we can do something for you." And on and on it went.

Huge sums of money were spent on billboards and posters. On the other hand, spare equipment requests for such staples as transmitter tubes were denied because of the tight finances.

I would say the downward spiral really started accelerating after the big FREE concert on July 4, 1973 at Delta Park. Very soon, the low pay we were all enjoying became "no pay."

When I left in February, 1974, staff morale was the lowest I ever had seen. Now happily working for good pay in television, I lost track of who was left at the station and what led up to the soul takeover. I am still very thankful that I moved on when I did.

Is that the Dick Jenkins who runs K-Love and Air One? I don't remember Steve Shannon. Was "Black Roses" J.S. from KXL?

Yes, it is that Dick Jenkins. I don't remember where Shannon went. "Black Roses" was not KXL's John Salisbury. It was another John.

It's been awhile but I think Steve Shannon did mornings on KYXI when it was AC. It seems like he was also in Seattle and fairly high up with Golden West Broadcasting. No, I'm not thinking of Scott Shannon.

Has anyone been to the building recently? What's left of the original studio loft? Who remembers "Kqiv newsblimps"

I believe Steve Shannon moved to KQ4 from KEX. Dick Jenkins came over from KPAM.

I remember Kq4 as a really good station. I would listen to it on my walk home from school back in 1973. Let's get it on - Marvin Gaye was a hit at the time and the song would get played every afternoon. What was the D.J. line up at the time?

I'm told Mr. Kraus had a AM station in the Coos Bay area at one time.

You can view some old KQ4 posters at:

http://hometown.aol.com/__121b_NEM2TEO5ue7r1KEp2m8fEovY3Yuvcb3e

This is my first attempt, and better images are on their way.

Nice job!

Thank you for posting the pictures. I have some old stuff I'm going to dig up soon. I hung onto alot of promotional material. Let's hear more stories!!

A couple more early KQIV staffers I thought of are: Jim LaFawn (PD), and Susan Ross (wife of KPTV's George "Dr. Zoom" Ross).

Also, I recall that KYXI's Benny Marsh was around at the start, too.

A correction to my earlier posting on KQIV studio equipment. Microphones were Electro-Voice RE15 models, not 635A.

Small point, but I noticed the thread was getting a little low on the totem pole!

Where was the picture with Walter and staff taken?

If I remember correctly, we took that shot in the boardroom at the old Elks lodge in downtown Lake Oswego. I believe the Elks hung on to that property for awhile after the new lodge was built, and the old boardroom provided the right look for the photo. By the way, I'm the geeky guy with the glasses looking over Walter's shoulder.

http://hometown.aol.com/__121b_NEM2TEO5ue7r1KEp2m8fEovY3Yuvcb3e

I've added a new poster to the page:

http://hometown.aol.com/__121b_NEM2TEO5ue7r1KEp2m8fEovY3Yuvcb3e

50kw asked: "Was there any thought given to adding 100 feet to the tower in Outlook? Was this possible?"

I don't recall any consideration ever being given to lengthening the tower. As it was, we barely had enough room on our lot to place the guy anchors that held up the 200-footer.

Thanks to Patrick Roberson, who kindly provided me with a couple of short airchecks and several newspaper articles, I am now able to highlight more details of the history of KQIV in Lake Oswego.

A copy of the inaugural KQIV rate card showed, for example, that airing a package of 36 30-second spots per week in Class AA time cost an advertiser a whopping $6 a spot.

Francis Murphy wrote in the September 14, 1972, edition of The Oregonian, "(Walter) Kraus filed for the station over three years ago. Two other applicants were KYXI and a Dearborn, Mich., group known as Willamette Broadcasters. KYXI later withdrew the application and Kraus, after negotiating for a year, bought out Willamette Broadcasters. He received a license for the station on Oct. 25, 1971, after it had been lost in a mail box in Peoria, Ill., for a month." "KQIV had hoped to go on the air in August, but the starting date was delayed when vandals damaged some of the new equipment."

From an undated story headlined "KQIV Disc Jockey Gets Flowers From Girls At Residence Hall," "It's not every day a guy gets flowers from a bunch of girls. Jeff Clark, who will be the DJ on a remote KQIV show the quadrophonic sound station is doing tonight (Friday), received some this week. The girls at The Ondine residence hall in downtown Portland sent them in anticipation of his show from their lobby tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight. He says he's really looking forward to doing this one since there are nearly 500 girls in the building."

A newspaper ad from January 1973 proclaims, "We give a damn..."

From February 2, 1973, an article details KQIV getting a letter which made it glad to be in business. Seems the Outside-In clinic received a phone call from a disturbed person who was attempting suicide with a drug overdose. When their crash crew arrived on the scene, they found a radio tuned to KQIV. The person later said he called Outside-In for help because of a KQIV public service announcement he had heard.

KQIV celebrated its first anniversary on the air September 15, 1973. The talent lineup at the time included Steve O'Shea, 6-10am; Mike Sakellarides, 10am-2pm; Norman Flint, 2-6pm; Jeff Clarke, 6-10pm; Larry Scott, 10pm-2am; Joe Collins, 2-6am; Jim LaFawn, Program Director, Weekends; Joel "J.R." Miller (your humble correspondent), Weekends (spinning the hits and doing the wee-hours maintenance). Sakellarides is now a big-name talent on KOST 103.5 in L.A., and Collins spins the jazz at KAAT 103.1 near Fresno.

A print ad from late-1973 shows a big raised fist above the slogan, "Our new antenna means more power to the people."

Bob Ancheta worked two years at KVAN before leaving to take a job at KQIV-FM, one of several progressive rock stations in the Portland area, according to John Wendeborn in an article in The Sunday Oregonian of June 2, 1974. "I started at KQIV with weekend work and vacation relief about nine months ago but now I've got my own show six nights a week," says Ancheta. The hours of that show might boggle the day-oriented mind: "I'm on from midnight until 6 in the morning, and yes, I enjoy it."

In late July 1974, KQIV becomes "KQ4/Soul 107."

John Wendeborn returns in The Oregonian of October 13, 1974, to report that Portland radio veteran Ray Horn has returned to the air on KQIV-FM, only a few weeks after the station changed formats. Horn plays jazz two nights a week from midnight to six, but hopes to expand his show to thirty hours a week.

On January 29, 1976, it is reported that Brotherhood Broadcasting Co., which was hired to manage KQIV, is suing Willamette Broadcasting Co. in Clackamas County Circuit Court for $425,000. Brotherhood claims Willamette failed to pay it money agreed upon in their contract signed July 16, 1974.

"Attorney John W. Kendall will sell KQIV-FM to the highest bidder on July 26," according to Francis Murphy in The Oregonian of May 26, 1976. "In what seems one of the more unusual radio station sales for this area...the U.S. District Court in Portland appointed Kendall the receiver for certain property and assets of Willamette Broadcasting Co., Inc., the owner and licensee of the Lake Oswego station."

The Oregon Journal "Insider" on June 7, 1976, says "KQIV Chief Not About To Give Up." "KQIV, Portland's jazz and soul music station, has been placed in receivership and its assets are scheduled to be sold off late in July. But station manager Roy Jay says he doesn't think that will come to pass. 'We'll be on the air indefinitely, I'm glad to say.' According to Jay, the station went into receivership over a debt of $115,000. Jay has since come up with $150,000 - enough to cover the debt and legal fees involved - but he says the creditor refused to accept the money." "Jay says that the station lost $478,000 while it was programmed for progressive rock from 1972 to 1974, but claims losses have been 'minimal' since KQIV changed to its soul, jazz and 'full people' format."

Roy Jay's "indefinitely" actually was only eleven days as Francis Murphy reports in The Oregonian on June 18, 1976, that "KQIV-FM, Lake Oswego, will go off the air at 1 p.m. Friday. 'It's an ironic thing. All of us are disappointed,' Jay said. 'We've been caught in the middle of a can of worms.' " Murphy continues, "The Portland area will lose two stations this summer. The FCC has ordered KISN off the air in September."

The photo caption of July 27, 1976, says it all. "Walter Kraus, owner of radio station KQIV before it was put in receivership, holds his head sitting next to his attorney, Steve Gallagher, during an auction Monday in which two bids were accepted for purchase of the Lake Oswego FM Station." The article in The Oregonian continues, "The two highest bidders were Golden West Broadcasters, which operates station KEX, at $218,000 cash, and Jim Constant, Communico, Inc., Hartford, Conn., for $150,000 cash and $100,000 in a 12-year note. The two bids will be reviewed by a federal court... The interest shown in the station, which had been transmitting to a limited area from Oregon City, is due to a permit issued by the Federal Communications Commission and since expired which would allow the station to place the 100,000-watt transmitter in a better location. Robert McClanathan, a consulting engineer who has worked with KQIV, said that this relocation of the transmitter could allow the station to become a major contender in the Portland FM market. Neither Golden West nor Constant would say what format would be used, but Golden West representatives said they would definitely seek a new transmitter location. Golden West has four AM radio stations and a television station on the West Coast. Communico operates three AM stations in Connecticut and Hawaii."

Finally, from the 1992 edition of "Broadcasting & Cable Market Place": Lake Oswego - KMXI(FM) - Aug 1, 1977: 106.7 mhz; 94 kw. Ant 879 ft. TL: (Mount Scott). Rogue Broadcasting Corp. Group owner: Fairmont Communications Corp. (acq 7-5-89; $7,400,000).

- Joel Miller, KQIV Chief Operator, 1972-1974

Didn't Victor Ives own the station for a while? In the eighties maybe? Studios and offices on Barbur near Henry Ford's? Majic 107? or am I thinking of something else?

I believe Ives owned KMJK during its second CHR phase in the early 1980s, just before the advent of Z100.

From victorives.com -

"Also in the 1980's as Vice President and General Manager of Magic 107 FM in Portland, owned by Harte-Hanks Communications Corporation..."

Was Victor a partner in Harte-Hanks Communications?

KQIV MEMORIES from Larry Scott

In the Summer of 1972 I had been at KPFA in Berkeley for two years. Working (for no pay) for Pacifica was a trip…covering the strike at U.C. Berkeley…broadcasting the People’s Park demonstrations live in stereo…recording Alan Ginsberg’s memoirs…getting Mose Allison and Peter Serkin to do Saturday Night jams in the music room. But, it was time for a change. No money and too much politics (sound like a community radio station you know?). Good times though with Dr. Bob Sitton (of Northwest Film Study Center fame), Charles Amarkanian, Claude Marks and others.

My wife (first of many) had just completed her degree in Victorian Literature at Berkeley and been accepted into the Masters program at PSU. So in August of 1972 we came to Portland to find a place to live and to see if there was any work. A friend told me about this new FM station starting in Lake Oswego. I called and got an interview.

If you could call it that. I agree with others… KQIV was doomed before it ever went on the air. I met with Jack Malone and we chatted for a while. He admitted he had no radio experience but kept referring to “promotion” as being the key to business success no matter what the business. He described the format as “freeform”, “progressive”, “album”, “dynamic”, a real “ratings maker” and many other expressions no doubt garnered from music publications of the day.

Then Walter came around…slapped me on the back and gave me one of his cigars. The wrapper was printed in gold leaf: “Walter J. M. Kraus – Entrepreneur – phone number”. Walter claimed to have been in the OSS during WWII and kept telling me stories about Wild Bill Donovan. Then he proudly showed me his white Rolls Royce and drove off. (Walter had a fight with the State of Oregon…they only allowed seven places on a vanity plate and he wanted eight…Walter lost the argument so he had a phony Oregon plate made and mounted it below his real plate on the Rolls…it read “HUMILITY”…nuff said.)

They didn’t hire me because they said the startup staff was set. After the bizarre few minutes with Jack, Walter and the Rolls that worked for me. We went back to Berkeley.

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September 15, 1972 we drove into Portland dragging a U-Haul with all our worldly possessions. As we moved our stuff into the apartment I hooked up the stereo and tuned it to 106.7. Wow! There was a carrier…but no modulation. I thought they were doing transmitter testing. But, about an hour later KQIV Lake Oswego, 106.7 FM, KQ4, Rockin’ in Quad signed on the air. I was probably one of just a few dozen people who heard that.

This all seemed like a SIGN to me…so the next day I drove out to the studio to check in with Jack/Walter/whoever. I was told there had been “some changes” in the staffing. (“Some changes” would soon become a very familiar phrase.) They hired me on the spot. The money was pretty bad but enough to live on.

I’m a little hazy on who was PD…I think it was Norman Flint…although this position seemed to get passed around a lot. I actually had that position a couple of times for a week or two. I was the “night guy” and on the air from 7PM-MID, or 8PM-MID or 10PM-2AM depending on who was PD and what their philosophy on “day-parting” might be at the time. Things were so confused that they kept switching us around. I did the Morning Show for about two weeks. What a disaster! Even though I had told the powers that be that mornings were not my gig! What a mess!

When I walked into the studio for the first time I was shown a wall of records and told to play them. To say that KQIV had a format is like saying President Bush has a plan for getting us out of Iraq. The general philosophy was: “Hey, man. There is so-o-o-o-o much far out music in the world! We have to pass on this great gift to the people. Right on!” (Insert toking sounds at appropriate times.)

There was some talk of “rotations”, “A” and “B” and “C” lists (I never saw one) and what constituted a “recurring”…but there never was a format. If you wanted to play Funkadelic “Maggot Brain” and follow it with some mellow Hubert Laws you did it…and I did it. The only saving grace (not enough to save the station) was the incredible music knowledge of most of the jocks.

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Some of the jocks: Norman Flint, Faith, Gloria, Jeff Clarke (the best), the Big BA (Bob Anchetta), Ron Maita (where is he?). Then the San Francisco invasion from THE BIG 610 KFRC: Steve O’Shea who had done mornings, Ed Mitchell (Ed Hepp) who had done midday and was the Music Director and Joe Collins who was an engineer. I know I’ve forgotten many so apologies in advance.

They came and they went. Some quit. Some got fired. Some just disappeared into the night. Some went to jail. Some went to live on communes. Some found Jesus. Some found drugs. But…all of them added their bit of personality to what should have been a great radio station and a market powerhouse. That was not to be……….

Over 30 years later it would be easy to blame “bad management” or “money problems” or just lay the whole thing at Walter’s feet. It was a combination of everything. It was out of control from the beginning and just got worse.

So we round up the usual suspects. There was bad management. There were money problems. Add personality conflicts: Big ego and big talent vs big ego and little talent or any combination of the above. And we had drugs…lots and lots of drugs. Not everyone did drugs. But most did…weed, coke, poppers…you name it. Add booze to the mix and any situation was ready to ignite. Most of the time the frig in the back room was full of beer until Walter put a stop to that. Then we’d just bring our own or go downstairs to the Elks bar and order up. Actually it was easier than that because the main waitress downstairs, Sherrie (sp?) Campbell would bring up whatever we ordered.

But, through all of this crap…it WAS the MUSIC. The music world was changing rapidly and KQIV was there to chronicle it in real time.

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Awesome, Larry!

More KQIV MEMORIES from Larry Scott

At this point I would like to pay special tribute to someone who really helped make KQIV the great music station it was. That is the late, great Don MacLeod, the original owner of Music Millennium. Don was always buying spots on KQIV. He was spending co-op money on KQIV. And more than that, he was always turning us on to new music.

Don was always stocking new music from all over the world at MM. He had this incredible section of imports…bands from England, Germany, Italy, the Scandinavian countries and sometimes (I think) from other planets! And he had the wonderful habit of giving KQIV free copies of the latest imports. For a good part of the time I was at KQIV I was Music Director (but this was always fluid) so I got my hands on the goodies first.

Don was responsible for introducing the KQIV audience to the new wave of German bands like Neu, Kraftwerk, The Scorpions and others. From England we played The Strawbs, Tractor (great power duo) and a guy named Al Stewart who was a legend in Europe but almost unknown in the States. From Scandinavia came Golden Earring (KQIV broke the album Moontan and “Radar Love”), Focus including solo work by their leader Thijs Van Leer and let’s not forget Jukka Tolonen.

I could go on for page after page. Thanks, Don!

The great thing about this was that because of huge sales of import albums at MM many labels were actually forced into releasing the albums in the U.S. Nice, huh? Portland was really a powerhouse in the music business back then.

And, you must remember the radio formatting situation back in’72. The FM album giant was KINK. Their idea of rock was Joni Mitchell. Their idea of hard rock was Gordon Lightfoot. And, they were automated for overnights. (KQIV did the “Absolutely Live – 24 Hours a Day” advertising campaign and KINK bitched like hell claiming it was unfair. Huh? We were live…they weren’t!)

So, this new station with this new music, much of it loud and proud, got lots of attention from 1972-1974.

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There were no limits on the music! Well, we DID edit “You’re Breakin’ My Heart” by Harry Nilsson. And there was some heavy razor blade work on “Luang Prabang” by Patrick Skye. Other than that…play it if it works.

The music was put together in sets…and, unlike today where a set is just the number of tunes you play between spots, the sets on KQIV had a purpose. Of course, this depended on the jock. The set could have a feel...mellow or heavy. Or, they could have a meaning…anit-war or social change. But, music was always a messenger. A set about social change could have Mickey Newbury’s “Heaven Help the Child”…mellow could be “Children of the Night” by the Stylistics…loud and heavy could be Nugent or Deep Purple or Canned Heat.

And we always went for the perfect segue. The greatest compliment another jock could give you was: “Great segue, man.” The smooth flow from one song to another was extremely important. Since we didn’t use transition jingles or talk over the ramp (the unforgivable sin) the segue was everything. I remember one of the great sets that lots of us used…the theme was money…it would start with “Money” by Pink Floyd…segue into “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays…and then segue into “It’s Only Money Part 1” by Argent…and segue with much careful timing into “It’s Only Money Part 2” by Argent.

This may sound like something from another world to those who weren’t around to listen in the 70s. But the music was the message and the way it was presented and mixed was as important as the music itself.

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Also, important to this whole scene were…CONCERTS. KQIV wasn’t on the air long before it became an integral part of the concert scene…co-promoting…the old “Brought to you by KQIV and…..”. The station worked with Paramount Productions and presented some great shows at the old Paramount Theatre. There were a number of other promoters in town and we also did gigs at the Coliseum and the PSU Ballroom not to mention lots of clubs. A few notable concerts here…..

Jethro Tull and Robin Trower at the Coliseum was a great one. Trower was a virtual unkown except in the UK and Portland. Don MacLeod had given me a copy of Trower’s first album, “Twice Removed From Yesterday” on the Chrysalis UK import label. We played the heck out of it and MM sold a huge amount of copies. Chrysalis wasn’t sure if they were going to release this in the U.S. but import sales in Portland helped them see the light. I MC’d the show and the place went crazy when I introduced Trower. He received as much hoopla as Jethro Tull. After the show Robin told me he’d never had an audience that enthusiastic ANYWHERE. Way to go Portland!

Robin stayed in town for a few days and played at a local club (name forgotten). The interesting thing here was that during the sound check with all his Marshall’s cranked up to 11 (just like Spinal Tap) they blew a transformer on a pole outside the club. PGE had to come in and make quick repairs so the gig could go on.

Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs Band and the James Cotton Blues Band at the coliseum was another night to remember. The encore was ALL THREE BANDS doing “Livin’ in the USA” including a Steve, Boz and James chorus line. Killer! But the real killer was the all-night party Capitol Records threw at Jake’s. Portland was the last city on a nationwide tour and the bands blew it out at Jake’s until about 5AM. The last thing I remember was a very drunk Steve Miller handing out $100 bills to all the busboys and multiples of that to the waiters and waitresses.

Then there was Golden Earring at the PSU Ballroom. Way loud and very impressive…especially the drummer being catapulted up over the entire band on the last chord of “Are You Receiving Me?”.

Elton John at the Coliseum was a winner. Elton was in a “big boob” snit and wasn’t allowing any women with ample bosoms backstage. I was a few feet away when Elton walked out of his dressing room, saw a young lady with much cleavage exposed and started yelling, “She’s got tits! She’s got tits! Get her out of here or I won’t do the show!” Security grabbed the poor young lady and escorted her outside.

And the CTI Summer Jazz Festival at the Paramount. To the best of my recollection this included George Benson, Billy Cobham, Airto, Milt Jackson, Hubert Laws, Don Sebesky and many others. WHEW!

And, let’s not forget George Carlin and Al Stewart (forgot venue). Al had just released his first album in the U.S. after having many huge sellers in the UK. He could fill soccer stadiums and here he was opening for Carlin. Al sat on a stool with an acoustic guitar (no band) and knocked them out. Carlin, however…when I went to his dressing room to get the drill on how he wanted to be introduced, he was insufflating from a mountain of coke on a mirror and didn’t share with anybody. However, he did like the “Rockin’ in Quad” T-shirt I gave him.

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More KQIV MEMORIES from Larry Scott

Let’s get back to the studio. The studios looked like a spaceship. We had Langevin mix-down boards for our air boards…12 in and a discrete 4 out…with a joystick in the middle to make the sound bounce around. Sounds great, huh? Well, as was mentioned earlier the Langevin boards were made for sound studio use and not the brutality heaped on them by a 24-hour, 7-day radio station. The modules kept coming unplugged and we had to bang on them to make sure all the connections were good. And the slider pots failed with great regularity. Because they were mono sliders we had connecting bars that allowed you to slide the two pots (left and right) in unison.

Adding to the problems with the boards was the general lack of order in the studios. You could smoke…no pot because we shared the air supply with the Elks downstairs and that would have been interesting. Any kind of food or drink came and went. It must have been an engineer’s nightmare. So…a big HATS OFF to Joel and others who managed to keep things running with NO money and even less support from the powers above.

I remember Scully decks in the production room. Maybe that was after something cheaper to start with. ITC carts. Russco tables which was fun…being on the second floor of the Elks Lodge there was no real way to isolate them. I remember some heavy duty weighting in the bottom of the cabinets they were set in. But, even then, if you stomped into the studio they would rumble like crazy and would even skip at times.

And, we all brought our own cans. Koss PRO4-AA were in vogue. And there were a few Sennheisers floating around. The Koss was preferred because they were closed ear and you could crank the H out of them and not get any feedback with your mike open.

As to Quad sound…HUH? We had a piece of gear at the transmitter (Joel correct me on this if needed) that supposedly generated an encoded Sansui QS Quad signal. So if I understood it right, IF we played a record encoded in QS (mainly Capitol records I recall) the encoder would spit out the signal BUT you had to have a Sansui QS decoder system in your home. There was some claim that the encoder took any signal and fudged with some ambient information and encoded it for rear channel play on the home system…Quasi Quad? Of course, QS didn’t take off too well. The most popular Quad system was Columbia Records SQ system.

And then, there was RCA’s CD4 discrete Quad system. But the problem here was the rear channel information was carved into a 30khz carrier groove on the disc. You had to have an expensive Shibata cartridge/stylus to make it work. The big problem was that the Shibata stylus was really fine and sharp…and RCA, like other labels at the time, was using a high percentage of recycled vinyl (poor quality) to produce their blanks. Basically the Shibata stylus would just scrape the 30khz carrier grooves right off the disc.

For good technical info on all this Quad stuff go to:

http://www.mtsu.edu/~dsmitche/rim456/Quad/Quad_Formats.html

Was KQIV really “Rockin’ in Quad”? IF we played the right record and IF the listener owned the right gear…YES! Other than that….figure it out……

(to be continued in next post)

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Some interesting things stand out after more than 30 years.

There was an incident with a young man who told us on the phone “I have the Word”. After many calls he showed up in the office and scared the heck out of the staff. Then, one night, he got into the station and just had to get out “the Word”…ask BA about the rest of the story.

I have always been a classical music buff and coming into the Christmas season in 1973 I realized no radio station was going to play Handel’s “Messiah”. I called Don MacLeod at MM and he said he didn’t know of any station doing it. So, I suggested KQIV do it on Christmas Eve. Don was ecstatic and bought the entire three hours and presented it without commercial interruptions. We got some good press. But, the interesting thing was, the phones went off the hook…our listeners were just delighted to hear the “Messiah” on Christmas Eve. Kinda strange. But, good music is good music.

The groupies were amazing! I won’t say much more or mention names of jocks or groupies…after all, the groupies are probably all married to Nike executives, have four kids, live in big homes in Beaverton and drive Volvos.

And the payola thing. I never saw money change hands. But, every record company promo person had huge slush fund accounts. So there was lots of dining out, booze, drugs, vacations, stereos and thousands of “un-clipped” records that could be sold for cash as new to the record stores. Let me paraphrase Don Imus on this issue: “There’s no such thing as payola. The record company may take you out to dinner, ply you with booze and drugs, hand you a Rolex and then set you up for the night with the starlet of your choice…but there is no payola.” I agree. I feel kind of sorry for the local jocks and PDs and MDs who have to play what the home office says. Now all the goodies go to the executives instead of the little guys.

I got fired sometime in 1974. Don’t remember why. Didn’t matter much. At the moment I figured it was just my turn to hit the revolving door. Worked at KVAN for a while (something I really want to forget) and then did a show called “Other Worldz of Music” which aired on KINK then KGON. It was two hours a week of new progressive music and was sponsored by…guess who?...Music Millennium. Did my thing in the Army…jocked and did news in Indianapolis…then made it to 66 WNBC Radio in New York as a News Anchor.

Any questions? I’ll try my best to answer them. And, my email is open to anyone. Thanks for letting the old hippy ramble on. Guess I’ll go find my tie-dyed T-shirt and string some love beads.

One quick addition The "Classiest Farewell" award goes to Jeff Clarke. KGON had hired Jeff and he gave his notice. As was usual, management wanted to let him go a day eary so he couldn't do a "farewell" gig and maybe put down the station or talk about his new gig. Cooler heads prevailed and Jeff did his last show. I wondered what his last song would be and sneaked a peak through the glass and saw a 45 on one of the Russcos. What could it be? Jeff just said a regular goodbye and played the Beatles, "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number." PURE CLASS!

What a fun read! Thank You Larry.

Larry Scott wrote: "As to Quad sound…HUH? We had a piece of gear at the transmitter (Joel correct me on this if needed) that supposedly generated an encoded Sansui QS Quad signal..."

I don't recall any devices, at the studio or the transmitter, that generated anything in quad over the air. Of course, we obtained any LP's available that fit our format and were encoded in either QS or SQ, as I'm sure all the other stations did, too.

The on-air personalities enjoyed quad sound in the booth with a pretty nice monitoring system. I believe it consisted of a Marantz receiver feeding a Sansui QS-1 quad synthesiser, which fed two Marantz high-powered stereo amps and the four Advent speakers. Did you ever crank it up real good, Larry?

I stand corrected. I always thought there was some bogus synthesizer somewhere in the line.

And, yes. I cranked it...to the point of having a bunch of Elks guys storm up the stairs into the studio...and to the point of actually causing the tone arm on the turntable to vibrate causing a hellacious ROAR on the air. It was a GREAT sound system!

Oh, yes, the KQIV cars!

In 1971, when the format was still being planned as classical/opera/poetry, image was everything. KQIV would appeal to the well-to-do, upscale listener. And, Walter Kraus had the requisite rides for that image.

Several months before the station went on the air, however, it was decided that KQIV was instead going to be a progressive rocker. Walter determined that what he really needed now was a daily driver that would reflect the station's new persona as "radio for the common people."

Unbelievably, he found just what he was looking for in my metallic green 1963 Chevy II 100-Series 2-door sedan. I inherited the Chevy II from my dear aunt who lived only a block from the beach in Newport, Oregon. The salty ocean air certainly had taken somewhat of a toll on the car, but it still ran fairly well. So, Walter told me he'd buy me a new company car if I would give him the Chevy II. Well, that sounded like a pretty fair deal to me!

Soon, the old rust-bucket would spend some time out at International Collision Repair on Southeast Stark Street in Portland for some extensive body repairs and a fresh paint job in white. Hey, that little car looked great when they got done with it! A local sign company applied big KQ4 logos on the doors. Folks knew to look out as Walter, fat cigar in hand, buzzed around the area in his little KQ4-Mobile. The custom license plates on that car read "KQIV 2."

The car that wore the original custom plates "KQIV" was my car, a brand new 1973 Dodge Coronet 4-door sedan in metallic blue. The Dodge bristled with my ham radio and scanner antennas, and a spotlight. It fit my somewhat conservative nature - a short-haired, clean-shaven techy type. Staffers and visitors often rolled their eyes when they spotted the KQIV "police cruiser" parked at the station! "What's with that car?" Our Elks Lodge brothers liked it, though! Walter kept bugging me about letting him have the "KQIV" license plates to put on his Chevy II, so I soon gave them up and put plates with my Amateur Radio callsign on the Coronet.

By the way, General Manager Jack Malone drove a red 1972 Porsche 914 with custom plates "KQ4."

And, that's what I remember about the early cars of KQIV.

I have changed my User Name from Kqivoswego72 to Kq4.

Joel "J.R." Miller
KQIV Chief Op, 1972-74

www.rockininquad.com

"September 15, 1972. KQIV Lake Oswego signed on the air at 106.7 FM. Owner, Walter J. M. Kraus, Entrepreneur, puffed on his over-sized, custom-rolled cigar and waited for the money to pour in. That never happened.

"As this site develops we will tell the story of KQIV in words. pictures and sound. KQ4, as it was called, was to be the 'new wave' in Portland radio that would shake the market, leaving all other radio stations behind. Progressive album rock and 'Quadraphonic' sound were the tools that would shape this radio revolution. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

"Like many great ideas, KQ4 fell far short. We will look at KQ4's ownership, management, staff, music, promotion and more. And, we'd love to have your input. Share your memories, send in any artwork you might have, dig out those old newspaper articles, MP3 any old airchecks and send them our way."

- by Larry Scott

If you haven't visited lately, take another look! Many new items added --- newspaper articles, posters, staff and concert photos, engineering stuff, etc.

www.rockininquad.com

- J.R.

Some additional photos from the files of the late founding CE of KATU, Bill Vandermay, have been added. Take a look!

http://www.rockininquad.com/joel%20miller%20memories.htm#koin

Hey, if you'd like to take a little break from today's topics and controversies, head over to the Rockin' in Quad Blog and check-out some new stuff from the good ol' days!

Find out how KQIV decided on its call letters. What exactly was the Ivy Club? We said we were "Rockin' in Quad" but some called it "Rockin' in Fraud." Why were they so mean? And, was there really a "curse of the black roses"?

Enjoy!

http://kq4.blogspot.com

Rockin' in Quad has updates on two KQIV 106.7 pioneers. Dick Jenkins recalls the very first days, and we have a current photo of Steve Shannon (Spellerberg).

Notary Sojac (1969-1974), one of the bands at the July 4, 1973 Delta Park concert KQIV & Rainier Beer sponsored, is about to release a live CD (double CD, actually) culled from performances throughout Oregon from '72-'74 when the band taped most of its shows. The tapes have been digitized and cleaned up.

32 years after their demise, they release their first album. It's about time, I guess.

I'll add another post when I find out where and when it can be ordered.